Review of Haywire (2011) by Hoops2448 — 25 Jan 2012

Haywire is not just a great action film; its a great film as it acts as a callback to classic 60s spy thrillers while injecting a modern mentality thanks to some truly breath-taking fight scenes and car chases.

Haywire is a strange amalgam of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and The Bourne Series as it portrays a woman who isnt afraid to throw down but can and will use her intelligence to get her out of a situation or solve a puzzle.

The film follows Mallory, a freelance special ops agent as she is framed for something she didnt do and is forced to go on the run and figure out who set her up and why. The film opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film with a tension and intelligence that is quite unique.

The film revels in its brutality but it is never over the top with Haywire still feeling light on action in comparison to modern action films. Its the scenes where she is not engaging in fisticuffs that bring the film to life.

Soderbergh manages to ratchet up the tension while maintaining the slick pace and feel of the film. There is a wonderful sense of paranoia running through the film that further emphasises the cold war mentality that Soderbergh is going for with everyone acting as a suspect in the overall conspiracy.

The constant questioning of the men we are presented as they interact with Mallory provides for some really great scenes, especially the scenes she shares with Channing Tatum and Michael Fassbender. Carano brings not just physicality to the role (she did all her own stunts and is a trained mixed martial artist) but also sexuality as she toys with the people she meets.

Her interaction (as mentioned above) with Tatum and Fassbender is particularly great as she has great chemistry with both of them and it provides a lightness to the scenes that was sorely needed. Gina Carano may not be an Oscar worthy actor but she is a dynamic lead and provides a great screen presence .

The rest of the supporting cast work well too with Michael Douglas and Antonio Banderas providing some much needed gravitas. The only person who disappoints is Ewan Mcgregor who seems to rely a little too much on charm as he coasts through the movie.

The chase scene in Dublin is some of the finest direction in an action film as it plays on not only Mallorys paranoia but also the viewers. The script isnt brilliant but if anything it does properly bring out Mallorys stoic nature while also showing off her intelligence and sexuality.

Its a wonderful character to follow and its surprising (and welcome) to see such a character played by someone other than Angelina Jolie. Haywire is a wonderful film thanks to some ingenious direction by Steven Soderbergh, a great supporting cast and a multi-faceted lead in Gina Carano.